2013 Audi Q5

Audi lightly refreshes the Q5 and installs its supercharged six. A hybrid and diesel are on the way, too.

JUSTIN BERKOWITZ

Apr 24, 2012

The addition of a supercharged V-6 engine and plans for diesel and hybrid powertrains are the most significant changes to Audi’s Q5 crossover, which is getting an otherwise subtle update for the 2013 model year. Final U.S.-market specifications aren't out yet; what follows is a run down of the global changes and which of them we expect to see here.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Two Engines Now, Maybe More Later

Most Audi Q5s sold in the past year were delivered with the standard turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and we expect the same to be true in the future. But a V-6 will remain on the options sheet. The 3.2-liter V-6 will be phased out of the Audi lineup at the end of the year, and in its place the Q5 will offer the company’s ubiquitous supercharged 3.0-liter V-6. An eight-speed automatic remains the only transmission available.

The 3.0T—the T stands for Tsupercharged—is tuned to a few different power outputs, and Audi hasn’t yet announced which version will be in our Q5. We expect it’ll match the numbers for the base Q7, though, at 280 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. A hotter 3.0T could power an S version of the Q5, but there’s no guarantee such a model would be available in the U.S.

Audi will offer a Q5 hybrid in the U.S. starting in very late 2012. A gasoline-electric Q5 has been on sale in Europe for about a year—you can read our first drive here—and the company feels the time is right for a U.S. launch. The Q5 hybrid mates a turbo four with an electric motor for combined output of 241 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. We'd expect EPA city and highway figures to both land in the high twenties.

A diesel engine should be available in the U.S.-market Q5 some time in the first half of 2013, in keeping with a timeline laid out last year by the company's U.S. president, Johan de Nysschen. A final decision hasn't been made as to which engine it will be, but we've learned the most likely choice is the newest version of the corporate 3.0-liter V-6, which we'll see first in the Porsche Cayenne diesel. The powerplant now makes 240 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, which will suit a small crossover such as the Q5 just fine. That said, it probably won't be as efficient as Mercedes-Benz's upcoming four-cylinder diesel GLK250.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Carspotting

Only the most savvy automotive sleuths will easily spot the cosmetic changes for the 2013 Q5, which mostly bring the face into line with the rest of Audi’s lineup. The headlights look more like those on the recently refreshed A4 and feature xenon lights wrapped around the edges. Vertical chrome slats have been added to the Q5’s grille for a proper locomotive-like appearance.

Alterations to the Q5’s interior are so minor that if you’re able to pick up on them, you probably have a career ahead of you detecting counterfeit currency for the FBI. We do know that the car will pack Audi’s latest infotainment gadgetry, including Audi Connect internet connectivity.

Final U.S.-model specifications and information will arrive closer to its on-sale date later this year.

This version of the story adds timing and information on diesel and hybrid models.